Hello I have a 16 week old Cockerpoo puppy who I have had

Hi Michaela,

Teaching a puppy not to bite and chew on things is very hard. This is because your puppy is teething as you suspect. You should provide your puppy with lots of appropriate things for him to chew on. They have wonderful chew toys that you can put treats inside or peanut butter inside that helps the puppy keep focused on that chew toy rather than you.

You have been told correctly, when a dog is chewing and nipping on people the best method is to say “NO’ make a cry of pain and most puppies will respond and stop. For those that don’t respond, you will need to redirect his nipping or biting to an appropriate object. If you are playing and she nips, you want to do the same and then stop playing with her. She should learn soon that if she nips, playtime is over. Some puppies learn earlier than others and most do not totally learn not to nip and chew on you until they are 4-5 months old. Since she is already 4 months old, she should know by now. If she enjoys being held, then when she bites, put her on the floor and ignore her. Do not let her get back up even if you need to attach a leash and slip it under your foot to stop her jumping back up.

Here are some great sites on bite inhibition.
http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/puppy-socialization-and-bite-inhibition/271
http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-44.htm

Unfortunately, the site does not allow me to make clickable links, so to view the supporting websites, you will need to copy and paste the link into a new browser window or tab.

Once your pup has completed her shots which should be about now, you will want to enroll her in Puppy obedience classes. Of course you can work on sit and come at home but class will be a chance for your puppy to interact with other puppies and learn from the experience. She will probably be in contact with older dogs as well and gain more dog social skills as well. You should also have her around a varied group of people so she is comfortable with all people whether they are children, adults, elderly, white, black, and green. etc. A well socialized dog is less likely to become a problem dog.

Now there are some dogs that just don't seem to get the message no matter what normal method you use to stop the biting. Dogs that are taken away from their mothers too early are deprived of the time with their siblings and other dogs which helps them learn that biting can hurt so they need to be careful. Not sure if this fits with her upbringing, but it might. Now there is a method for stubborn biters but it should be used as a last resort. You can stop mouthing and biting hard by going the opposite direction. Instead of taking your hand out of her mouth, put it further in the mouth. DO NOT do this meanly (not that you would). Do not do it quickly or shove it in too far, just move it further in enough that it makes her uncomfortable so that she pulls her mouth away from your hand. SHe will learn that putting her mouth on your hand results in the hand going further in and possibly triggering a gag reflex which she will not find pleasant. I'v found that this methods works on the most stubborn puppies. Be sure only adults do this so you can be assured that they are doing it correctly.
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I hope this information is helpful to you and you are satisfied with my response. If you would like any additional information or have more questions please don’t hesitate to press the reply to expert or continue conversation button so I can address any issues you still have .